Young Hope
by Aprilshowermayflowers
Summary: It's been years since the Avengers roamed the Earth, years since one by one they were struck down by their foes. Now all that is left of them is their children, cleaning up the mess left behind. But when tragedy strikes, the teens will have to learn to stop running from the past and instead face it together. (sort of based on the plot of Avengers Assemble, but in my own writing)
1. Falling From the Tree

**Falling From the Tree**

 _(Author's note- This is my first_ _fan fiction on this site I'm_ _uploading so please_ _don't be too harsh. Keep in mind I literally_ _have no idea what I'm doing. Also this is a prologue chapter_ _so it's kinda supposed to not make any sense and be really short. Anyway, enjoy!)_

The room was silent, devoid of life, feeling, anything really. The illusion was only occasionally broken by a wet, sickening cough that would burst from one of the rooms inhabitants. They were in a secret bunker, with no windows or words to betray its location. Shining metal covered all and the dim artificial lights illuminated the darkness. With only a long table and two chairs to decorate the area, it radiated a cold that would chill anyone to the bone.

"Is it ready yet?" one of the voices asked, which was then punctuated by yet another fit of coughing. The voice's accent was jagged and sharp. It echoed around the room and carried a type of unknown power and confidence, even though it was raspy from the illness.

A moment passed before the other person in the room spoke up. This voice was high and fast, as though the user didn't want to have to waste their time with something as frivolous as speaking. "Yes, but I have my concerns."

Before the other person could respond, the second voice quickly explained, "My powers have never been pushed to a limit such as what you want. Coupled with the fact that this technology has been experimental for ages, the risks are very high."

"Ah, but that is the beauty of this arrangement," the initial voice said calculatedly. "The only person who may potentially suffer is me. You merely stand there and hit a few buttons."

"But if I had more time then surely…"

"You young people have no concept of risk and reward, always taking the road more traveled. Bravery is a virtue that has unfortunately been replaced by the sin of freedom. When playing the role of a leader you do not take roads but instead make them. We will move forward with the plan."

This time more hesitantly, the second voice asked, "Then let's wait a little…"

"No!" The scraping of chair being pushed back. The stomping of feet marching angrily. The shouts of anger being a punctual contrast to the previously manipulative calm. "I have waited decades for this moment. Years of planning. There is no second choice. No plan B. This is it. And I will not have it be ruined by a worrisome follower! Do not forget who dug your organization out of the ground and saved you. Do not forget who gave you the tools to revenge. Do not forget where your loyalties lie!"

The cough returned after the outburst, this time with a passion. The ill man leaned heavily against the table as sweat collected on his brow, and he gasped for air. A mechanical whirring filled the room as the second person moved to back away from the fuming other across the room. "Very well. We will proceed. But I still can not figure out one thing. Why are you insistent on it being him?"

For the first time during the meeting a positive emotion filled the room, though it was no more comforting than before. The first man smiled, a wolf's smile who had the sheep in sight. He slowly, almost teasingly sat back down, raised his wine glass to his mouth, and drawled with the thick German accent, "You know the saying; like father," a tortuous silence filled the meeting room as the man sipped his drink then wiped his mouth on a napkin before continuing, "like son."


	2. An Important Distinction

**An Important Distinction**

 _(Author's note- So that last chapter was weird, but this is where the action really starts picking up. I had this one pre-written but usually uploads will be once a week. Just as a note, all the Avenger's children are OC's I created but some have a few influences in real life, like the actual Young Avengers or real Norse mythology. They are not the same as the comic book ones, and should not be taken as such. At some point we will get a fleshed out backstory for all of them.)_

Thalia Stark wandered into the control room of the tower, coffee in one hand, a holographic mobile in the other. She yawned and rubbed her tired eyes, red from another night of staying up late. She had been working for SHIELD on a new thermal scanner capable of detecting the subtle heat differences between the metal of weapons and formulating countermeasures based on the data. Collapsing on the main arm chair in the control room of the tower, a flick of her wrist brought dozens of images to life around her.

Running her hand through her black messy pixie cut hair, Thalia took a long blissful sip of her drink. Today she was wearing a simple red t-shirt with black jeans. Her glasses framed her rich brown eyes and landed on her tan, freckled nose. Her face was petite and small, but her nose was slightly bigger. She stood at a comfortably short five foot four. Her body was curvy, not fat but healthy looking for a nineteen year old. The only truly unattractive part of her were the dark circles around her eyes.

"Friday, daily report, and try to speed it up. I have an omelet that's calling my name." Her voice was strong and low.

A robotic female voice emanated from a seemingly unknown source. "No meetings today, but you do have several voicemails from Ms. Stellan. Do you wish to answer?"

Danielle or "Dani" Stellan was Thalia's best, and possibly only friend. As one of the only SHIELD agents around her age, it made sense the two had clicked. They had been friends since Thalia first began designing technology for the agency, which was when she was about ten years old.

Thinking it over for a second, Thalia eventually wrinkled her nose and sighed, "Nah, she's probably just reminding me to take my meds. Status on the others?"

The holograms around her focused in, suddenly showing each a different person, most locked in combat of some sort.

"Liam is currently still in hiding in Arizona with no sign of Powerhouse emerging." The first image showed a small, pale, curly haired boy on the streets beside a library in a small dusty town. He had dirt smudged all over his body, his hair was greasy and messy, and he wore a torn, old pair of sweats and a jacket ripped beyond repair. His face betrayed him as they showed dark bruises under his eyes, sunken cheeks, and lines too deep for what appeared to be a teenage boy to have. Sleeping deeply, his body was tightly curled inward, like a fist. He looked uncomfortably similar to Doctor Bruce Banner, though unfortunately less put together.

"The Black Arrow is in Hell's Kitchen fighting several armed assassins." This one presented an averagely tall, thin figure with a flat build. She was wearing a SHIELD issue uniform but with the colour scheme as purple and black, accessorized by a sheer olive green scarf. Brown hair in a long braid going down her back whipped around. She had a large, smirking mouth and a crooked nose, broken many times before. Her eyes were covered by tinted sunglasses, though it was clear she was happy where she was, which happened to be fighting several black clad figures in a dark alley.

Thalia looked as though she wanted to know more, but thought against it when she saw The Black Arrow throw one man into a brick wall and drop kick another. "Yeah, it looks like she's got this covered."

Friday's voice continued, "There is no known data on Winter Warrior's whereabouts." The third screen was blank.

"Thrud is currently in Norway battling up to ten ice giants." Friday continued.

That gave Thalia a pause. She looked at the screen which showed a very muscular, towering, beautiful girl with shoulder-length rich blonde hair in an elaborate set of braids. She wore many layers of red and grey battle armor, along with a flowing crimson cape. On her neck she wore a golden necklace set with three shining rubies. She had strong features, with a long nose and full mouth. Her eyes stole the show as they were a rich navy, like the sky just before the storm. They darted from blue skinned enemy to enemy. The warrior was quick to strike down her targets with a great show of force, slamming her hammer, Mjolnir, on the unprepared army.

"Um, can I get risk assessment on her? Just to be safe"

A second passed as Friday ran the numbers before responding, "She has an eighty-eight to ninety-five percent chance of success."

"Then nevermind, I'm sure she can handle it."

Thalia took a moment to fix her glasses. In that time, Friday nonchalantly commented, "You could always have me message one of them instead of illegally following their movements from the Tower."

Glaring no where specific, the Stark was clear when she said, "No, no. We all agreed that after our parents...you know, we wouldn't talk. I haven't even seen most of them in person since I was ten. They handle themselves. Last time I tried to intervene, the Big Guy almost ripped my spleen out."

Thalia's overprotectiveness of the group wasn't unfound. Everyone listed had once been allies, friends, maybe even family. They had all lived together, in Avengers tower. They had all been either raised by their parents in that setting, or taken in by the heroes at a later date. Either way, when you grow up with people like that, you don't just let that connection go. Ten years ago, Thalia would have called all of the kids on the screens her closest relationships. That had changed a while ago.

"Everyone wants their privacy, Friday. And hey, the world is going just fine without the Avengers in it."

As if to prove a point, an alarm began blaring across the tower at that moment. Panic momentarily took over Thalia before she regained calm and looked at the most likely source. The last screen.

On it was a boy around Thalia's age. He was on the tall to medium side and very well built. His skin was fair and unblemished, a small mole on the corner of his right eye. His hair was hidden behind a deep blue army helmet. With eyes the colour of the lightest blue, very long lashes, and a sharp jaw and cheekbones, he was surely a sight to behold. His clothes nearly matched Captain America's to the exact details. The suit matched the helmet in colour, the traditional stars front and center. His combat boots and gloves both were a brown leather. Finished off with the shield itself, the boy was a spitting image of Steve Rogers.

At the moment he was locked in combat with several ten foot tall robots shooting rapid fire out of shoulder mounted guns. A sickly familiar logo was painted on the torsos. He raised the shield to save himself at the last second, then threw it at the robot responsible, taking out its legs.

"Friday, why is the alarm going off?" Thalia yelled over the piercing sirens. "Super Soldier can handle a couple of Hydra bots. Why is his success rate at less than twenty?"

"Miss Stark, he is currently in Washington. I suggest heading over there immediately. The armor is already queued up."

Thalia was already up and running to the launch bay by the word "Washington." As she stood in the designated spot marked on the ground, pieces of red and grey metal flew to attach themselves to the girl. The complete suit was very similar to an original Iron Man set, the only addition being grey instead of gold and several upgrades to the internal computer systems. That and the new name. Iron Maiden.

Taking off as soon as possible, Thalia darted through the skies without any hesitation. Pulling up the footage of Super Soldier from before into the helmet screen, Thalia looked over the scene and swore when she saw the cause. It shouldn't have been possible, yet it was right in front of them.

"Friday, please tell me that isn't who I think it is."

Frday's voice transmitted through the earpiece Thalia had on. "The physiological scan shows a positive match. It's either the Red Skull himself or a clone."

This only motivated Thalia to push the power of the armor to almost one hundred. She mumbled to herself, "Hang in there, Tom."

* * *

Thomas Rogers was not having a good day. First he had to deal with parasitic reporters showing up at his apartment asking about his dad, then he'd broken his favourite mug and cut his hand, and now he was fighting some Hydra bots while staring down at his old man's long dead greatest enemy. Or maybe not. Thomas didn't really know. The man was a picture perfect copy of what the Red Skull had looked like when he still maintained his normal human appearance.

"Well no wonder these guys are fighting better than usually," Thomas quipped as he flipped over a robot and whipped it in the head with the shield, "They probably want to make a good impression." The head toppled off and he took that opportunity to turn around and throw the weapon at the Schmidt standing before him.

The Nazi commander easily stepped aside, letting the shield get stuck in the lamp post beside him. "No my good sir, they are merely following orders. You should be honoured, getting to battling the best mind of this century."

Running to the side to avoid the flurry of bullets, Super Soldier ducked behind a fallen monument. "Hate to break it to you, Johann but you haven't really been around in this century very much."

A chuckle came followed by a rattling cough and gasping. "You are thinking of my father. No shame in it really, even I see the resemblance."

Thomas froze. A son of the Red Skull? No, the resemblance was too strong. A clone then? Hydra had always been crazy but cloning yourself? That seemed a little extreme.

The thought process was interrupted when Thomas was forced to flee as a mechanical hand came down near his hiding spot, crushing it to pieces. The hero vaulted over the robot to appear behind the clone. He picked up his shield, then pointed to Schmidt's son, "Doesn't matter. Whoever you are, you will be defeated."

A raised hand stopped the advancing robots, and a cruel, twisted look gleamed in the villain's eyes. "Among the Hydra officers, I am known as Sinful, but my full name is Stein Schmidt. It is an important distinction to make." Before Super Soldier could ask why he continued, "because it is only fair to know the name of the man to kill you."

* * *

Little did either of the two opponents know that Thalia had heard every words. On the flight to DC, she had hacked into Tom's communication headpiece and listened. Scenarios of all that could happen flashed through her mind.

Following the coordinates Friday had uploaded to her suit, Thalia was relieved to see the smoking remains of the decimated battle field. The faint outline of two figures were barely legible.

"Don't worry Super Soldier, back up is here," Thalia sent out of the suit to Thomas' earpiece. However Thomas was too busy talking to the apparently resurrected Red Skull to notice.

Just when the Iron Maiden suit was close enough to begin shooting, a blinding burst of light engulfed the sky. Pausing to hover in air for a moment, Thalia waited for her eyes to refocus after the blast.

She was too slow.

Too slow to notice the new person that had teleported directly behind Thomas.

Too slow to process what was happening as the chair-bound man raised one of his hands.

Too slow to yell a warning to her friend as the gun grasped in his hand was fired, and a ray of energy fired out.

Too slow to look away as the ray caught Super Soldier in the back. As he gave out a final scream of shock and agony. As his physical form burnt away to leave only an imprint of his outline on the ground. As the famous shield clattered to the ground.

Too slow to realize that now she was the one yelling.


	3. Scorch Marks

**Scorch Marks**

 _(Author's note- I'm back, and freaking out about the Infinity War trailer, which reminded me I should probably clear a few things up. This story takes place in an AU where Thor Ragnarok and everything afterwords didn't happen. Thanos came and they defeated him, but no one died. Everyone continued crime fighting, raised a family, and then passed away from causes yet to be revealed. Hope that makes things more clear. Thanks for reading!)_

"No! Thomas!" Thalia screeched. At first, all she saw was the remaining shadow of her childhood friend. Then as Sinful bent down to pick up the shield and examine it, all she saw was red.

Giving a cry of no words in particular, just pain and fury, she zoomed forward, firing missiles out of the arms of the suit.

The figure who had...who had killed Tom scrunched up his face in concentration. The target bound missiles hit an invisible force field and exploded. The newly discovered telepath gasped but other than that, the pair of villains were unharmed.

Upon further inspection, Thalia realized she knew who the man was. He was a deformed monstrosity. His head was huge, barely being held up by the levitating chair's support system. On his arms and legs were mechanical enhancement concealing his real limbs. The skin on his face was peeling and burned, folds of skin encompassing his head. The patches of hair he did have were greasy and covered by the suit that supported his body. Huh, so now MODOK was working with Hydra.

Landing on the ground twenty feet in front of the crime scene, Thalia's voice was thick with anger as she growled, "Let go of the shield, you animal."

"Ah, I was wondering when one of Super Soldier's allies would heed his call for help." Sinful drawled. Though he seemed the picture of confidence, the paling of his skin and wheezing of his breathe said otherwise.

MODOK had apparently also noticed this. Turning to Stein, he mumbled, "We should retreat, we have have done what we came to do."

At that, Thalia raised her gauntlet, the repulsor already starting up. "You aren't going anywhere."

A startling laugh rang through the air, this time from MODOK. He shared a side glance with Sinful, and when the Hydra general gave a subtle nod, he reacted. A deformed hand reached up to touch his forehead.

Thalia had planned to stop him before that, already prepared to shoot his arm, then charge forward to secure Stein, but before she could she felt a slight pressure being pressed all along her.

Her hand was forced back to her side, and she began to struggle as she felt the Iron Maiden armour bend at the legs, forcing her on her knees. The joints in the armour locked up, trapping her in place. A panicked sense of claustrophobia overcame her as the pressure on her head and chest increased. Her breathing quickened and her heart rate skyrocketed, which the rational part of her brain reasoned wasn't exactly the best reaction to have at the moment.

As she fought and struggled, Thalia gasped out "Friday, what's happening?"

"Sy-sy-system fail-ail-ail-ailure. System-system-system compromised," was the response in a glitchy voice. The screens and numbers in front of Thalia flashed warnings, but a second later all was black. Friday and all the other armor systems had shut down.

"Should I finish her off?" asked MODOK, the voice barely penetrating through the thick metal alloy of the helmet. A memory of reading the SHIELD files on MODOk hit her. Suddenly the "how" of the attack became painfully clear. MODOK was a technopath, created by AIM. The organization had come back with a vengeance after Hydra started funding it.

Fear shot through Thalia's heart, and she continued to struggle even harder against the now painful pressure. But soon panic would be replaced by confusion when she heard Sinful answer, "No, she deserves to see the fruits of our labor more than anyone else. It will be a fate more cruel than death."

A sharp ringing was heard and then silence. The violent force on the armour ceased, though Thalia was still locked in. She exhaled a shaky breathe, then quietly whispered, "Unlock protocol." Long ago the Stark had expected to possibly be in a situation like the current one, so she had designed an emergency system to maintain energy after a power drain in case of a lockdown.

The front facing plates of the suit opened up, letting Thalia step out into the rubble. She inhaled fresh air greedily, dispersing the panic that had been building up in her chest. Looking around frantically, it was clear that the two villains had teleported out. All that was left in the area was the Stark and the shadowed remains of Thomas. The bastards had even taken the shield.

For the first time the true meaning of what had happened to Tom hit her like a freight train.

He was gone? Gone? Just like that? No, someone like Thomas, someone as revolutionary, can't be gone? The evidence said otherwise.

Tears flooded her eyes and a muffled sob escaped her throat. She hadn't even realized she was kneeling beside his imprint. Slowly she reached out and touched the ground where her friend had stood.

Her friend who was now with their parents. Dead.

"Oh Tom."

Like breaking a dam, those words let loose all her emotions. And that's where Thalia stayed mourning. Weeping for her lost childhood family, alone like always.


	4. Eye Contact

**Eye Contact**

 _(Author's note- God, being sick sucks. But alas, I'm still here updating this stupid thing no one is reading... Enjoy!)_

Melissa sighed, flexing her right arm and testing it for serious injury. One of the more competent goons had had the foresight to bring a gun to the skirmish alongside the Hand's stereotypical knives and swords. Only one good shot was managed, and all it did was hit the wall behind her and spray some shrapnel her way. No doubt the man regretted his decision when it earned him an arrow through the thigh.

Speak of the devils, one of the goons began yelling a threat from where he was tied up on the ground. Well, Melissa assumed it was a threat, it was hard to decipher through her hearing aids and the impromptu gag she had shoved in his mouth.

"Sweetheart, did me giving you a concussion, breaking your leg, tying you up, and gagging you not make you think, 'Hm, maybe she doesn't want to speak to me?'" the archer teased.

When the curses muffled by the rag continued, Melissa shrugged. "Oh well, I did warn you." A sharp blow to the temple with her bow promptly knocked the thug out, ending the yelling.

As Melissa was preparing to alert SHIELD for pick up and head home for a well deserved drink, a mechanical buzzing from the end of the alley put her on high alert. Notching an arrow, the agent was prepared to launch the explosive at the floating machine behind her before a familiar holographic person appeared.

Disgust splayed across Melissa's face. She sneered at the figure, "Wow Stark, you've moved beyond hiding behind a suit, to just plain not showing up at all. Why am I not surprised?"

"Please, Black Arrow. Hear me out."

The tone in Thalia's voice gave Melissa a pause. She sounded exhausted, the type of deflated someone is when they've been through something intense. The hologram stood beside armor that was sparking and completely ripped through in some places. Yeah, intense was definitely the right word.

The lack of interruption from the Barton allowed Thalia to continue. "I have a drop ship coming in a minute. I need you to get on it. It'll take you to the mansion."

Melissa mentally freaked out at thoughts of the mansion. Of having a family. Of her family being ripped away.

"No way," Melissa stated, "am I joining a B-list young Avengers. SHIELD tried to start that shit forever ago and look how well that turned out."

Frustrated, Thalia begged, "Listen Barton, that's not it. Please get in the ship, and I'll explain everything when you land."

Considering, Black Arrow finally answered, "Fine, but I'm not responsible if these guys get out while I'm gone."

* * *

An awkward silence enveloped the plane. The two inhabitants each grasped at something to say but always ended up dropping it. Because what do you say to someone you haven't seen in nine years? Thalia could have brought up Melissa would be carpooling

Fortunately for Melissa the silence was only contained between her and the other person in the ship. Unfortunately it was getting increasingly difficult to avoid looking at the bags under his eyes, the rips in his clothes, and the overall unhealthiness his body portrayed. God, out of all of them, Liam had really been the one to let himself go.

At least she had a crisp white bandage covering the small cut her arm had been sporting. While the exchange after she stepped into and sat in the plane and Liam had taken it upon himself to play medic when he saw she was hurt was uncomfortable, Melissa had to admit he definitely had his father's talent with medicine. No words had been exchanged besides the gentle prodding by Liam to "lift your arm higher" and "brace yourself, this might hurt. Sorry."

Neither had had the courage to look the other in the eyes.

Black Arrow briefly considered asking Liam about "the other guy," naturally curious about any recent occurrences, but thought against it when she remembered how little a young Liam had enjoyed talking about Powerhouse.

Thankfully, or maybe not depending on how you looked at it, turbulence caused the ship to begin rocking in the air at an alarming pace, forcing both inhabitants to actually interact with one another.

Melissa quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and dashed to the control panel as Liam closed his eyes and breathed deeply through the panic. Had it been anyone else with her, the archer might have been pissed about them not helping, but with a Banner, she knew how important it was that he kept his cool.

A particularly potent jolt hit the plane, causing Melissa's head to slam forward onto the plane front window and her legs to give out as she fell to the ground. While on the floor, another sharp turn ended with her flying to the back of the ship. Somehow she was able to twist in the air to land on her feet.

Trying to maintain her balance, she stumbled back to the front controls. White spots danced in front of her as pain emanated from her nose. She lifted a hand to her throbbing face, which then came away slick with blood. By this point Melissa was thoroughly pissed off.

Glancing around the console at what may have been causing the disturbance, she groaned when she saw what had come up on the radar unit. "For the love of-ugh! Why is she here?"

An answer came in the form of rough words through clenched teeth. "Black Arrow, run!"

Melissa turned to look at the source of the noise, and many inappropriate curses, most aimed at Stark, crossed her mind. Liam was kneeling on the metal floor, his left arm clutched tightly to his chest. Based on the painful bend it took right in the middle of the forearm, there was no doubt it was broken from being tossed around. Along with the huge cut on his forehead, the situation definitely wasn't looking too good.

That wasn't what had Melissa scared though. What did was the memory of what happened to Banners when their heart rate was elevated. Which Liam's definitely was if the bright green colour snaking its way through his veins was any indication.

"Oh God. Um, Liam. It's, fuck, it's gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine. Just breathe."

Moving towards the struggling boy, Melissa flinched at the desperation in his voice when Liam shrieked, "No! Stay back! Agh!"

The green had now spread through his whole skin, tinting it a sickly shade. His eyes glowed, cutting through the tenseness in the air. The hand that was not broken pounded at the ground, and Melissa felt like throwing up when she saw it had dented the thick alloy.

When the finally stages of transformation had begun, Liam's body started grow in size, swelling with muscles. He arched his back with a chilling howl as bone and skin burst from between his shoulder blades, extending into long, jagged wings.

For the first time in nine years, Liam and Melissa made eye contact. A shiver traveled underneath Black Arrow's skin as she saw the pain and fear disappear and slowly be replaced by undying rage. Watching a Banner transform was still as horrifying as she remembered.

With a final roar that almost sounded like a sob, the onslaught ended. Liam-or whatever was left- lay on the floor, unmoving. Pulling out her bow and notching an electric arrow, Melissa was on edge was she made her way to the fallen figure. When she was within a couple of feet of him and still no movement had occurred, she took a risk and whispered, "...Powerhouse?"

It's… his… head snapped up. Melissa felt a scream lodge in her throat. She was so screwed.

Powerhouse's skin was thick and coarse, almost scaly. It was more of an olive tone then the bright green the Hulk's had been. All of Liam's clothes had ripped away, leaving only a few scraps to protect the boy's privacy. Blood ran down his back in rivers from the spots where the wings had emerged. The monster stood up, a towering seven and a half to eight feet tall, the wings expanding large enough to take up the entirety of the passenger bay.

Of course Melissa knew what Powerhouse looked like, but he hadn't emerged in six years. Seeing this now, a more grown version of him was overwhelming.

She struggled through the fear coursing through her to remember all she had known about the gamma beast. Had Hydra implemented any other extra powers other than the wings when they created him? Her mind turned up blank. Why couldn't they have cloned Banner like normal psychopaths, instead of also altering his DNA?

Powerhouse stood still, Black Arrow stood still, hell even the ship was finally not rocking about. Melissa took a gentle step forward, into a better position to launch her arrow.

The calm was broken.

Powerhouse roared so loudly the ship almost vibrated. Melissa was just about to launch the projectile when the beast unexpectedly ran sideways, smashing through the metal of the ship like it was paper. He dived through the hole, and Melissa briefly saw the large wings flapping to keep him flying.

Unfortunately her moment of observing Powerhouse fly away faster than a car could drive was ruined as powerful, freezing winds ripped through the ship, feeling like it was stealing the air from her lungs and peeling the skin off her bones.

There was the brief panic, the feeling of a strong vacuum, like being sucked through a straw; then nothing. Melissa was falling.

Now Melissa was no stranger to heights. She was a sniper at heart and was used to jumping out of buildings to avoid some threat or another. But there was a difference between jumping out of a bank window into a getaway car and being launched out of a plane hundreds of feet in the air with no way to avoid death.

So Black Arrow screamed.

Death didn't truly worry her, it was more instinct for the yells to rip through her chest and out her mouth. She had been threatened with an untimely end many times and was, in a sick sort of way, at peace with knowing she would see her parents soon. Of course she didn't expect to end up in the same place as them but that was okay.

The peace was untimely ruined by a strong hand grasping onto her unhurt forearm as she plummeted. The jolt of a rapid stop gave her whiplash. When Melissa was finally able to focus again and look up, she was, for the second time that day, thoroughly angry with who she saw.

The whooshing of a battle hammer being spun over and over again provided a backdrop for the ordeal. Said hammer was grasped tightly in the hand not currently preventing Melissa from meeting a brutal end. The battle armor reflected brightly in the five o'clock sun. The ruby cape and golden hair framed Melissa's saviour in an ethereal halo. Despite having saved the archer, there was no thanks to be had.

Melissa snarled, "Well I hope you're here to apologize."

A booming laugh shook the flying Ashardian. She asked, "I have saved your life. Should you not to be grateful?"

A red hugh painted over Melissa's face in anger. "Oh shut the fuck up Thrud, you're the one that put me in danger. Now put me down!"

Thrud began to descend downwards and again laughed, furthering Black Arrow's fury. "Very well," Thrud teased, "and hello to you too, Bartondottir. After nine years I would think a nicer greeting would be in order."

Melissa snorted bitterly. "Like Hell. The day I greet any of you guys nicely is the day I fuck my own bow."


	5. Heads Bowed

**Heads Bowed**

 _(Author's note- I'm back! I say to literally nobody. Lol but actually I've kinda lost interest in this story. It was something I started years ago and tried to continue but alas inspiration doesn't work that way. I'll try and get more done, and if I do end up ending the story I'll give an update. Until then, enjoy!)_

Once on the ground, Melissa was quick to dart a farther distance away from Thrud, who didn't seem to care as her concern was with another issue.

"Did Thalia also summon you here?"

Melissa glared. "Yeah she picked me up from one of my busts and we headed straight...Banner!"

Thrud appeared concerned. "You headed straight Banner? I am unfamiliar with that term."

"No you idiot!" Melissa yelled. "I mean what happened to Powerhouse after he jumped out of the plane?"

Looking around as if preparing for the monster to pop out of the ground, Thrud answered, "No, my concern lied with catching you."

The archer rolled her eyes. "Oh wow, I'm swooning. Anyway we need to find him. You head north toward the crash and I'll call-"

"Not necessary, my dear bird brain."

Both of the heroes turned toward the new voice, and for the third time that day, Melissa was disappointed by the source.

The new armor Thalia was in was similar to the previous one, with slightly outdated materials being the only telltale sign. With her face hidden behind the plate, Melissa was frustrated with being unable to read her emotions.

Motioning at the smoking remains of the crash sight of the plane in the distance, Thrud asked, "But daughter of Stark, the monster is free and may potentially cause harm to your people! He must be found."

"God I can't say I missed your weird phrasing Viking Metal, but don't worry. I got it covered."

Melissa laughed skeptically. "You took down a Hulk in that dinky little armor of yours? As if."

If Iron Maiden could've rolled her eyes through the armor, she would've. "Don't believe me? Fine. Step inside and see."

The initial adrenaline of the incident had somewhat cooled down, leaving Melissa calm enough to look around at where they had landed. Thrud must've had some good aim, because they were right in front of the long forgotten manor.

Not waiting for an answer, Thalia began walking inside. Thrud and Melissa shared brief glance before Thrud shrugged and followed her. Melissa groaned, "Fine I'll come, but I still don't like any of you bastards!"

* * *

The halls were filled to the brim with ghosts, almost to the point where Melissa was finding it hard to breathe. Or maybe she was hyperventilating. Either one works.

Memories of dashing through the halls as a kid filled her head. Playing with the other children without a care in the world. It was so bittersweet her head ached a little bit. But those days were gone. Because like all else in Melissa's life, everything eventually changed.

No one attempted to initiate conversation during the walk down the halls, which Melissa was thankful for. Small talk was disgusting. She was at least grateful when Thalia tossed her a rag and bandages to clean up her thankfully not broken nose.

More than mere shock ruined her angry train of thought when a sheepish Liam shuffled through a door Thalia had stopped at and pulled open. Other than a bandage wrapped around his midsection and new clothes, he seemed to be in good condition.

"Well colour me surprised 'Lia, you actually managed to take down a hulk."

Thrud was also in the same boat as Melissa. "Yes Starkdottir it is a difficult feat you have managed, but nonetheless I can proudly say I never doubted you."

"Sure thing Hercules, if you say so. And I didn't defeat Powerhouse, I calmed him down."

Liam finally spoke, though his voice was hoarse and more tired than before. "Still I didn't think anyone besides Aunt N- I mean the Black Widow learned the lullaby."

Shrugging nonchalantly like she hadn't used a technique previously thought to have been killed off along with the Avengers, Thalia motioned for the group to follow her again. "Well as much as I like being praised I didn't call you guys out here for a group powwow. We have a problem."

* * *

"Hell no!"

"Melissa why don't we at least hear her out-"

Standing up, Melissa was already fuming. "Hear what? 'Hey guys why don't we form a suicide squad funded by the queen of reckless, life-threatening, drunken whims?'"

Thalia sighed as she swirled around her cup of probably spiked coffee. "Look, I'm not saying we form up the Avengers again-"

"I thought that was exactly what you were suggesting?" Thrud asked confusedly.

The room they were walking through certainly didn't help the atmosphere of the group. It was now, pacing among the stone copies of their parents that Melissa regretted letting SHIELD commission this "memory" room for the fallen. It was a constant effort to avoid looking at her dad's memorial. The new addition to the room, a statue in the corner left unidentifiable by the cloth that covered it didn't go unnoticed by the archer, but she chose to instead focus on the task at hand: ripping Thalia's stupid little plan apart.

Thalia also looked as though she wanted death when she stood up amongst the group and began pacing. "No, not Avengers. Just… a group-"

"A group?" Melissa laughed. "You honestly think a group is a good idea? Look where we are Tin Can! Everyone here is dead because they yolo'd their ass into a team and paid the price."

The sad part was that it was true. Statues showing not only previous Avengers but also Guardians, Defenders, and Inhumans showed the sad price working together and forming a target cost.

"Thalia, I wouldn't take it that far, but she has a point. Maybe a team would work better with more people." Liam commented quietly.

Stopping in front of the covered statue, Thalia turned around and suddenly looked much older than her age would suggest. "You think I don't know that? But I can't get in contact with Andrei, I don't think anyone besides Legolas over here could and you don't look like you're willing to help, and I don't want to bring anyone else into this."

Thrud scoffed, "Well, it would at least make sense to bring in Super Soldier."

"Yeah, if anyone seemed like the type to form our own version of the Mickey Mouse Club it would've been Tommy," Melissa agreed.

Thalia flinched and swallowed hard. She looked down in an uncharacteristic moment of doubt, leaving Melissa confused. "Actually…" Her voice shook as she spoke, "that's why I brought you here."

With one fluid motion she brought down the cloth covering the last statue in the room. Liam apparently knew right away what it was as he choked out a small, meek "No," and collapsed to his knees, but Melissa was in the dark. Why would Thalia make such a big deal about unveiling a statue of Captain Am-

"Oh God, no. No. No! You're lying!" Thalia shaking her head was unnerving. She hadn't even realized she had said her thoughts out loud.

Melissa's vision zeroed in on it. The sign. Of their destruction, of their history, of the final end of a too young life. All she could see was Thomas's cross necklace hanging from the statue's neck, a blaring alarm setting panic to her thoughts.

It was her father's bow coming back with no confident smile to back it up.

It was her aunt's gravestone by her feet, because her aunt left nothing else that could be traced back to her.

It was her mom's wedding ring, hastily kissed during whispered prayers right before her death.

It was one more part of Melissa's family, her heart, a part she didn't think she had left, being broken.

"At nine a.m. this morning…"

Thrud's face was covered by her flowing hair, but the tears burning down her cheeks could still be seen dripping onto the floor.

"A previously unknown clone of the Red Skull emerged to the public along with MODOK…"

Liam's sobs were muffled, each one a broken, shattering sound that ripped layers of Melissa's barriers off.

"And managed to kill Sup… and managed to kill Thomas."

A numbing storm was whisking through Melissa's mind, each thought taking hold for a second then disappearing into the red expanse. Before she knew it she was standing directly in front of the Stark. With teary eyes, a clenched fist, and grief ridden voice she uttered out words the world had not heard in almost a decade:

"Avenger's Assemble."


	6. Frozen Wasteland

**Frozen Wasteland**

 _(Author's note- Happy holidays everyone! And to celebrate I give you... angst...yay? So quick warning for this chapter, there is some reference to self-harm, self-hatred, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, and even though I didn't intend it like this, what is potential internalized homophobia. If any of this is a problem for you, know that it isn't a huge part of the chapter, just kinda mentioned. Finally, the bold parts are the characters own thoughts. Enjoy!)_

Liam squirmed in his seat, but to his dismay, he couldn't find a comfortable position without irritating the bandages and the wounds they covered. You would think after years of hulking out and having Powerhouse's wings destroy his back, he'd be used to it. But that was unfortunately not the case.

If anyone noticed his discomfort, no one said anything. Thalia was piloting the back-up quinjet she had stored away just in case, Melissa was organizing and cleaning her arrows threateningly, causing Liam to sit further away from her, and Thrud was gazing out the window in a wistful way, like she wished she was instead flying out there instead of being stuck in the metal grave.

Frankly, Liam was inclined to agree with her. Both due to his introverted nature, his bizarre upbringing in first a Hydra lab then the Avengers mansion, and his Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde situation, human contact was never an aspect he enjoyed. Perhaps that's why him and Thalia had been such good friends when they were younger, with her boisterous attitude and his careful rationality, they had made a good team.

He sighed. No "team" with a Hulk ever ended up good, that was a lesson that was clear as day. It was the initial reason for his self-inflicted isolation after his dad passed away. Not a day went by when he didn't wish for someone, anyone who could understand, help, or even listen to his problems, but the only person who understood what Liam went through was buried six feet under.

Melissa's loud voice suddenly spoke up, and Liam fought the urge to flinch at the sudden noise. "So, I know I'm new to this whole 'group project' situation, but shouldn't we at least know the plan?"

Truth be told Liam was also curious to know the answer. Thalia had been mysterious after revealing the news of Thomas' death, quickly herding them onto the plane and claiming, "I know where Sinful is right now, and I know we all want revenge so let's hurry up and go."

Not that he necessarily blamed her. The news of Thomas' death had hit him hard, making the only force preventing the emergence of Powerhouse his overwhelming numbness and grief. Thomas and his family had always been such strong presence in everyone's life, constance in a state of rapid change. Then Uncle Steve passed away, and then Aunt Sharon, and it looked like fate had finished the job because Thomas was gone too.

Liam wished that someone else was there, someone that had promised to never leave him like the others. Out of all his years of anxiety and depression, there had always been one person to pick him up again when he didn't know what to do. At first it had been rough. After the Avengers were officially disbanded, he thought he would never see any of the kids again. Those beliefs were ruined after the end of his first month as a homeless teenager in Arizona, when the Winter Warrior, Andrei Stepanov showed up, claiming to be checking up on him for Shield.

Andrei had always been his best friend in the mansion when all the kids had lived together with their parents. Neither of them had been planned, with Liam being a clone Hydra had created and Andrei being a Generation Four member of the Black Widow program that Aunt Natasha had rescued. But their closeness surviving the death of the Avengers had surprised him. Eventually he got used to the monthly visits the assassin graced him with, enough to the point where when Andrei had stopped about a year ago, Liam had felt emotionally wrecked.

Back in reality, after pressing a few button to presumably put the plane into autopilot, Thalia stood out of the pilot's chair and sat with the other passengers. "Right… the plan. Well using my satellite radar technology, I was able to pick up on a spot in the arctic where frequencies that radiated off matched the wavelengths of the ones Modok gives off when he teleports."

"So there should be our foes base of operations." Thrud commented.

Thalia nodded. "Exactly, so once we land, we bust in and take down Modok and Sinful."

"That's not what I asked."

Confused, Thalia turned towards Melissa after her comment was made, prompting the archer to speak up again. "What weapons do they have? Where's our point of entrance? What are we actually going to do when we get there?"

"Look I…" Thalia started before being interrupted by Black Arrow.

"I'm sending you all off to imminent and painful death?' Is that what you're going to say? 'Cause that's what's going to happen if we don't get our shit together and figure out what we're going to do."

At that point Thalia's frustration with the situation had reached its highest point. "What's the point? Powerhouse won't follow instructions, you're not going to listen to anything I have to say, and Thrud probably barely understood what I was saying earlier about finding the base. So let's just do what we do best and do our own thing."

With that Thalia dramatically turned around and sat back into the pilot seat. Melissa shrugged and continued checking her weapons, and Thrud reluctantly turned back towards the window, mumbling about, "not being an idiot" and "mostly understanding."

Fiddling with his hands, Liam couldn't help but think about the Stark's words. He wished he could control Powerhouse more, do anything more in battle besides turn into the world's most destructive mass weapon but he couldn't. It was times like then he became upset that the Avengers hadn't dug around the Hydra base they had found him in, maybe finding an instructions manual or something.

He felt sadness at these thoughts. Of course they didn't find anything, who would? No one planned for this situation. No one planned for the mistake that was Liam/Powerhouse to emerge.

* * *

The snow covered landscape spread for miles and miles, leaving nothing for the eye to see except white oblivion. Briefly Liam thought, "This would've been a good place for Powerhouse to hide out. Nothing to break and no one to hurt for miles."

The emptiness was overwhelming though. No matter how safe it would've been for the time being, no one could stand living there for the time being. Being alone like that would drive anyone insane.

"We're almost there, so get ready." Thalia called from the pilot seat while struggling to navigate through the treacherous snow storm.

Melissa began collecting her arrows, which had been strewn all around her seat, and Thrud checked over her armor in preparation for battle. Liam was hit with the urge to prepare too, but soon realized it would be pointless, as he wasn't the one that was going to be fighting.

"Ok, when we touch down we'll probably be under some heavy fire so our heavy hitters need to provide some cover while I look for an entry point. Black Arrow, I need you to keep an eye out for Modok. If he starts using-" Thalia's speech was cut off when the ship rapidly dipped downwards. The lights began flickering and the monitors cut off one by one.

"Thalia, what's going on?" Liam yelled, already feeling the panic creep up on him. He desperately began to slow his breathing.

If Thalia was going to answer it was cut off by a familiar face appearing on the central monitor. "What part of technopath do you imbeciles not understand? Are you really so dense that you tried to fly a ship here?" Modok's high pitched arrogant voice resonated over the system. Liam tried to think if he had ever fought the AIM created monstrosity before, but if he had, only Powerhouse would know.

Thrud stood up as the ship continued to rattle around. "Stark, can you get the vessel under control?"

Thalia grunted, "If I could, do you think we would still be plummeting to our icy demise? We need to abandon ship."

She got up and moved to the back of the quinjet, where she stood on a designated platform as pieced of her armor assembled around her. Her voice became clearer as it instead broadcasted into the earpieces she had previously given them. "Okay, the hatch is opening up. I'll take Merida and fly us to the ground. Thrud, my radar is picking up machine guns set up as a welcoming gift, take 'em out. Liam, you know what to do."

The Iron Maiden suit lit up as it powered to life, and it wasted to time in grabbing a disgruntled Black Arrow and blasting out through the open rear of the jet. Thrud spun her hammer around a couple of times, causing the snow that had entered the plane to begin swirling around, before soaring out.

Carefully Liam inched towards the opening, letting dark thoughts he often kept concealed flood his mind. Each one was painfully sharp, never dulling despite the passing of time.

 **You're a monster. A true one. Born from monsters, raised a monster. Nothing more. And not just when you're Powerhouse. You'll never be accepted. Even as Liam. Because you are weak. The weakest person in control of the strongest monster. Pathetic.**

Liam screamed, both from the pain his shifting muscles and bones gave off and the darkness of his thoughts. He felt himself slowly reach that limit, the barrier his mind had, the edge between being in control and not. It was a trick his dad had taught him when he had first started training to control his other half. Don't fall of the edge, jump off.

 **Everyone wishes you're dad were here and not you! Your dad wouldn't have to be grateful that Powerhouse's healing gets rid of the scars! You're dad wouldn't wonder if turning back would even be worth it! You're dad wouldn't have disgusting feelings for Andrei, a man worth ten times more than you!**

A choked gasp escaped his lips, and tears began flooding down his cheeks. By that point the pain was so overwhelming that he didn't even really feel the wings burst from his back. Blackness crept around the edge of his vision, suffocating him. Or maybe greeness. Liam always hated that part, where momentarily him and Powerhouse were one in the same, and he could feel the thoughts of endless destruction, so bloody and red they nauseated him.

With one last hopeful push, Liam felt the body that was no longer his moving to jump out of the crashing ship. If all went well, Powerhouse would at least partly understand the instructions Thalia had given out and follow them.

His last thoughts before he gave up control completely were of a red headed Shield agent that checked up on him from time to time, of sly smiles and haunted green eyes that mirrored his own, of strong hands that gave him strength he didn't realize he needed, of the man that anchored Liam down in a world of chaos. An agent who was all Liam had ever wanted in life, that hadn't even bothered to show up.


End file.
